Automatic train-pipe coupling.



R. E. ADREON,

AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED 33.17, 1908. v

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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R. E. ADREON'.

v AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB.17,, 1908..

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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WITNESSES R E. ADREON. AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.1-7, 190s.

Patented. Mar. 9, 1915.

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INVENTOR W 51 /m a for augmenting the ordinary barren arenas earn canton.

ROBERT E. ADREON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTINGHOUSE AUTO- MATIC AIR 8; STEAM COUPLER. COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURL-A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-PIPE courLInc.

Specification of l lette rs Patent.

Patented Mar. e, was.

Application filed February 17, 1908. Serial N o. 416,300.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT E. ADREON,

.a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Train-Pipe Couplings, of which the following is a specification. p

This invention relates to automatic pipe couplings, and more particularly to those adapted for connecting air and steam pipes between cars-of railway trains. For this purpose it has been heretofore proposed to employ a coupling half section or head having passagesleading to the air and steam pipes and provided with suitable gaskets where the passages open to the face of the coupling head, so as to effect a tight joint when counterpart coupling heads on adjacent cars are brought into engagement.

In order to guide the heads into a position in which the gaskets are in register, a spring gathering arm is provided, which is adapted to engage suitable, guide flanges or wings on a companion coupling head in the act of coupling as the cars come together, the gathering arm being made yielding or spring like, so as to press the joint gasketstogether in the final coupled position and I thereby maintain a tight joint. It may 30 sometimes happen that the gathering arm, byhreason 'of accidental impacts, will become bent out of normal position to an extentwhich will render'the joint liable to leak.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved gathering arm device, wherein the gathering arm is pivoted or hinged and i an independent spring is employed to act on the arm and thereby permit the desired spring pressure on the coupling joint.

Another object is to provide improved means for guiding the coupling heads in the act of coupling in order to secure better alinement of the parts and thereby reduce the wear thereon.

Still another object is to provide means gathering capacity ofthe gathering arm;

It has been heretofore proposed to provide a spring buffer device for yieldingly maintaining the coupling half section in horizontal alinement and for the purpose of "absorbing shocks due to sudden impacts occurring while cars are being coupled. With the prior devices of this character, there thus exists a continual strain on the lenders, after the carsare coupled, which is vide means whereby, while the cars are cou- 1 pled, the faces of the coupling half sections may be accessible for gasket renewals and other purposes.

In-the accompan ing drawings; Figure 1 is a side elevationa view of a coupling half section or head, with one form of my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2 a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 an end elevational View thereof; Fig. 4 a side elevational view of a coupling half section, showing a preferred construction of my improved spring buffer in connection therewith and secured to the under part of a car-coupler, the spring buffer being shown in section; Fig. 5 a horizontal section of the spring buffer device on the line 55 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 a side elevational view of the rear portion of the spring buffer device; Fig. 7 a transverse section of the gathering arm, taken on the line bb of Fig. 2; and Fig. 8 a similar section on the line a-a of Fig. 2. 1

' The half section 1 of the automatic pipe coupling may comprise a shoe 2, rovided with guide flanges 3 and having t e usual transverse ridges 4 adapted to engage grooves 5 of'anothe'r half section when coupled together.

ccording to one feature of my invention the gathering arm 6, preferably a steel or malleable iron casting, is pivotally secured by means of a pivot pin? to a cast yoke 8 which may be secured to the coupling head by rivets 9. Y

The yoke 8 has a lug 10 extending in the direction of the gathering farm 6 and provided with guide lugs 11 toassist in maintaining the gathering arm in proper hori- 'zontal alinement. The lug 10 is centrally 14 may be adjusted and the tension of the spring 13 thus varied as desired.

It will now be apparent that movement of the gathering arm 6, as the coupling joint is eflected, is yieldingly resisted by the independent spring 13, and furthermore, if it is desired to get at the coupling face while the cars are coupled, the nut 15 may be removed the gathering arm without danger of acquiring a permanent set in, or of breaking the gathering arm.

A other feature of my improvements'consists in providing what may be termed vertical alinement lugs, whereby, if the coupling half sections in coming together are not in vertical 'alinement, said lugs will force the heads into vertical registration and thereby prevent uneven wear on the vertical ridges 4 and the recesses 5. For securing the foregoingresult I provide lugs 16, which are adapted to register with re- .cesses 17 in another coupling half section. If the half sections are not in vertical register one of the lugs 16 engage the back or inner face of a recess 17 and throw or kick the heads into proper alinement. The recesses 17 may be flared as shown and thereby serve to assist the gathering vertical gathering movement. I also provide anv additional'set of lugs 18, one preferably at the top of the signal port and the other at the bottom of the steam port for the purpose of increasin the extent of the contact surface and there y assisting to prevent uneven wear of the face corrugations.

Another feature of my invention consists in forming the gathering arm 6 with its guide face composed of two beveled surfaces 19, originating at the center line of the gathering arm. By-this' means the effective gathering capacity of the flanges 3 is increased by the distance from center to outer edge of the gathering arm, as the parts will then gather, even if the extreme outer edge of one gathering arm is outside of the extreme gathering tip of a guide flange 3,

provided the point of engagement is between the center line and the outer edge of the gathering arm.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings is illustrated a preferred form. of my improved spring buffer device, which, though adapted for various types of automatic pipe couplings, is shown applied in connection with a side port coupling half section 1, and comprises a supporting hanger 20 secured to a bracket 21 on the draw-bar coupler head 22.

arm in the Pivotally suspended within the hanger 20 is a buffer arm or clapper 23, and the loop portion 24 of the coupling half section 1 is interposed between the bar 25 of the hanger 20 and the buffer arm 23. A spiral spring 26, the outer end of which is mounted in a recess of anadjusting cap 32, is adapted to act on the buffer arm 23 and tends to press the loop portion 24 of the coupling half section into engagement with the hanger bar 25.

Pivotally mounted in the hanger 20 is a bell crank having a trigger arm 27, interposed between the loop portion 24 and the bar 25, and a latch arm .28 provided with teeth 29. The clapper 23 has a downwardly extending lug 30 provided with an opening through which the latch arm 28 may freely move and has a tooth 31 with which the teeth 29 are adapted to cooperate and thereby prevent the return movement of the clapper or buffer arm 23 when once forced inwardly. Thus, when cars are coupled up,

the pipe coupling head compresses the spring 26 and moves the buffer arm 23 inwardly, more or less, then, as the knuckle slack of the car coupler is taken up, the heads move forward, but the buffer arm is restrained by theengagement of the tooth 31 with one of the teeth on the latch arm 28, so that the coupling heads are free from the spring pressure, and consequently there is no strain on the buffers or draw-bar brackets. It will further be noted that as the coupling hangs free and is not subject to the pressure of the buffer spring, the .coupling heads may be handled for minor repairswithout uncoupling the cars, and particularly where my improved gatherin arm mechanism is employed, access to the face of the coupling half section may be had unscrewing the spring holding nut 15 and throwing back the gathering 'arm on its, 'pivot, so that the joint gaskets may be renewed as desired.

' When cars are uncoupled, the pipe coupling half sections move forward and each engages the trigger arm 27 of the bell crank, thereby tripping the latch arm 28, so that the buffer arm 23 is forced, by the pres sure of-the spring 26, into engagement with the loop portion 24 of the coupling half section. I may employ a spring 40 in ad-.

dition to the weight of the arm 28 for pressing said arm against the tooth 31. The contact surface of the buffer arm 23 may be curved to conform to the contact surface of the coupling head, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, thereby assisting in alining the coupling half section, as will be apparent.

The spring cap 32 may be adjusted by means of bolts 33, mounted in apertured lugs 34 on the bracket 20, so that the ten-, sion of the spring 26 may be regulated as desired.

In order to prevent accidental tripping of the latch arm 28 while the coupling heads are being manipulated, I provide a centrally located bolt 41 having a ball shaped head 35, adapted to bear in a socket provided in the bufi'er arm 23, the spring 26 having its bearing on awasher 36, which has an aperture therein of the same cont our as the surface of the ball end of the bolt 41, thus maintaining the parts in proper alinement in the to and fro movements thereof. The adjusting washer 32 is centrally apertured and is preferably provided with an inwardly extending sleeve 37, adapted to bear against the unthreaded shank portion of the bolt 41 and thereby prevent the threaded portion thereof fromcontacting with parts liable to jam or damage the threads.

When the buffer arm 23 is locked by the I tooth 31, and it is desired to manipulate the heads in any manner, the nut '38 on the bolt 41 is screwed up to seat on the spring cap 32, so that should the trigger arm 27 be accidentally moved, the buffer arm 23 will be prevented from kicking out.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1 1. In an automatic pipe coupling, the combination with a coupling head having a fixed arm and a gathering arm pivoted to the fixed arm, of a member pivoted to the fixed armand a spring mounted be tween said member and the pivoted gathering arm for yieldingly resisting the movement of said gathering arm on its pivot.

2. In an automatic pipe coupling, the combination with a coupling head having a fixed arm and a gathering arm pivoted to the fixed arm. of a member pivoted to the fixed arm and provided with an abutment, and a spring interposed between the abutment and said gathering arm to yieldingly resist the movement of said arm on its pivot.

'3. In an automatic pipe coupling, the com bination with a coupling 'head having a fixed arm and a gathering arm pivoted to the fixed arm, of a bolt pivoted to the fixed arm and extending through said gathering arm, a movable member mounted on said bolt, a spring interposed between said member and the gathering arm, and a nut having screw threaded engagement with said bolt for holding the spring in position, the movement of the bolt on its pivot being adapted to permit the gathering arm to be swung open upon removal of the nut from said bolt.

4. In an automatic pipe coupling, a coupling head, a spring buffer for resisting longitudinal movement of said head, and means operating on said buffer for preventing return movement thereof upon movement of the coupling head in the-opposite direction.

5. In an automatic pipe coupling, a coupling head, a spring buffer for resisting longitudinal movement of said head, in one directlon, and means for locking said buffer to prevent return movement thereof, upon movement of the coupling head in the opposlte direction.

6. In an automatic pipecoupling, a cou' pling head. a spring'bufi'er for resisting movement of said head in the act of coupling, and an automatic locking device operated by the movement of said head for preventing return vmovement of said bufier upon movement of the coupling head in the opposite direction.

7. In an automatic pipe coupling, a coupling head, a spring buffer for resisting longitudinal movement of said head, a locking device for holding said bufi'er against re.- turn movement, and means operated by said head in the act of uncoupling for releasing said locking device.

8. In an automatic pipe coupling, a coupling head, a springbuffer for resisting movement of said head in the act of coupling, a locking device for preventing re turn movement of said bufler, and means operated by the final movement of said head in the act of uncoupling for releasing said locking device.

9. In an automatic pipe coupling, the combination with a coupling head adapted to be manipulated to renderthe head accessible, of a spring buffer for resisting longitudinal movement of said head and meansfor locking said buffer to prevent return movement thereof, whereby said coupling may be manipulated in the coupled position.

10. In an automatic pipe coupling, a coupling head, a spring buffer for resisting longitudinal movement of said head, automatic means operating upon movement of said bufi'er against the resistance of the buffer spring for locking the buffer to prevent its return movement and manually operated means for securing said buffer in its locked position.

11. In an automatic pipe coupling, the combination with two coupling half sections adapted to couple upon longitudinal movement, a buffer mechanism for yleldingly pressing the heads together longitudinally and means for relieving theheads of spring pressure in the coupled position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ROBERT E. ADREON.

Witnesses D. E. Boron, W. L. MURRAY. 

